


Dustin Wayne-Grayson Verse

by Shybugbatty



Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, Nightwing (Comics)
Genre: Baby, Babysitting, Established Relationship, Fluff, M/M, new addition to the family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-09
Updated: 2014-04-19
Packaged: 2018-01-18 18:41:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 6,621
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1438753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shybugbatty/pseuds/Shybugbatty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After finding a baby made of his and Bruce’s DNA at Cadmus, Dick takes the child home to meet the family. Damian’s confused, Alfred is ecstatic, Tim is amused, Dick is in love, and Bruce is scared out of his mind. While they work on confirming Dustin's identity and figuring out who made him Bruce has to learn how to take care of a baby.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finding Dusty

**Author's Note:**

> This is crossposted on my Tumblr account 'shybugbatty'. If you search the tag 'dusty verse' on it you'll find what I've posted about him so far. I've posted the first two chapters there so I'll do so here as well so everyone will be on the same page. This version has been edited with some variations in ages but there is nothing major changed. Updates will be made to Tumblr too.
> 
> Dustin is an Original Character of mine but he's a child. The oldest he'll get in the story is possibly two years old so you won't have to worry about him doing much more than babbling and cooing cutely.

Nightwing crept through the silent building. He’d planned his late night visit to make sure that the building would be empty. For months now he’d had reason to believe that Cadmus was being funded secretly by some villains. The Justice League had searched it, of course, but they hadn’t found anything out of the ordinary. That’s why he had decided to investigate after hearing from it from Batman.

Dick easily slipped past the few guards and rounded the corner. He rappelled down the side of the elevator shaft to an opening in the downstairs floor in the unmarked part of Cadmus. There he was quick to find a computer. He’d use that to locate any oddities and from there search them.

He searched through and only found a few oddities that needed his attention – a few files and notes that sounded a little too much like weapons tech against the Justice League. The one thing that he wanted to investigate himself was something called Project WG. Whatever WG was it was listed as being ‘commissioned’. That wasn’t a good sign. Cadmus Labs didn’t take commissions as far as he knew, and if they did they certainly wouldn’t list it so blatantly.

Dick took the elevator to sub level 30. He darted through the mostly deserted halls before coming to the lab housing Project WG. It was a small room filled mainly with computers. There were three long desks with six computers set up. Around the edges of the room stood various small machines. There were heart monitors and blood pressure equipment along with a height chart and scale. He raised a brow. Maybe they listed it as commissioned because it simply was a  _good_ research thing for once. Although, if they were doing it for good, why would it be hidden here?

He slipped out his flashlight and shone it around the dark room. It landed on a window and Dick frowned. He moved to it and pressed a hand to the glass.

Inside the observation room was decorated in bright blues and whites. It was filled with baby supplies of all things. There was a crib in the back corner of the room. A changing table stood near it with a chest of baby clothes beside it. There were children’s toys on the other side. There was a highchair and a chest of baby foods.

"That’s odd.” Dick muttered. “They have a daycare?”

It took awhile before he saw the movement in the bed. His breath caught. Someone was in the crib. They couldn’t possibly have left a child here overnight!

“No.” That’s when he got it. It wasn’t a daycare. That child was a test subject here!

Fury bubbled up inside Dick and his heart clenched. He spun around and started hacking farther into the computer files. As much as he wanted to storm inside, grab the child, and run he didn’t want to ruin anything crucial, nor get damaged if the child had some sort of super strength or other mysterious powers.

His preliminary scans showed nothing out of the ordinary. There was no mention of powers or anything like that. It listed the child’s vitals. It listed the name as Dustin, a boy of eight months old. He was a little over seven and a half pounds and almost twenty inches long. 

As he went deeper into the files they became harder and harder to unlock. The encryptions on these were more advanced than anything else Cadmus had. “Come on… come on…” Dick murmured to himself. There was no sign of any abnormal DNA or special skills. There wasn’t any indication of who ‘commissioned’ the child either. Somewhere they would have to be listed though. Despite the amount of codes he’d hacked, he was nowhere near finishing the entire set. He wasn’t as amazing as a hacker as Babs or Tim but he could do it well. With a dive using their decryption software and his own hacking it didn’t seem like to would be too long before…

"No.” Dick’s breath caught suddenly and he froze mid stride.

_DNA Host Subjects: Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne_

"No. No way.” Dick shook his head and rubbed his eyes. The words were still there and he pinched himself. “Goddamn it.” Dick dropped his head to the desk.

Ok. So apparently Cadmus – a somewhat evil science lab owned in part by Lex Luthor – had their DNA and had used that DNA to make a child. It wasn’t  _that_ bad was it? Surely they didn’t know that they were Batman and Nightwing…. But why else would they want to make a child? Well even that didn’t make sense. Who would want to make them a son? How was that even possible?

Dick swallowed hard. He couldn’t pull his eyes from those few little words. _DNA Host Subjects: Dick Grayson and Bruce Wayne._

Alright. He and Bruce were fathers now apparently. That… that could be alright. He’d always wanted a child. Did Bruce? Not really but he  _did_ adopt all the boys so maybe he wouldn’t mind… Alfred would be delighted at least. But what did they do? Did Dick take him now? What if there were traps? What if this was a lie?

The thoughts swirled in Dick’s head and he moaned. “Wonderful.” He muttered. This wasn’t what he’d been expecting.

Slowly, Dick turned his head to look through the window into the nursery. He took a slow calming breath. Evil scientists or not, Dick wouldn’t let his son stay here anymore.

Half in a daze, Dick pressed a button on his flash drive to start recording all the files on Subject Wayne-Grayson. Autopilot led him to press against the window, looking down on the little boy sleeping in the crib.

Another calming breath and he pushed open the door, sneaking inside the blue room. He passed by all the toys and came to the bedside. The little boy was sleeping, curled up under a soft blanket and clutching a stuffed bunny by the ears. He had skin a pale golden color and tufts of soft black hair. He was small. Dick had never seen anyone so tiny in his life. So delicate and precious.

“Dustin.” Dick murmured. That was the boy’s name. It brought a soft smile to his face. It wasn’t a bad name. At least they’d given his baby a name.

He reached out, gently brushing his fingers through the short hair. The movement caused the child to stir. Dick jerked away, suddenly terrified. The baby shifted a bit, rolling onto his back and let out a yawn. Two sleepy blue eyes opened and Dustin blinked up at Dick curiously. “Baba?” He questioned, blinking those sparkling eyes a few times.

Dick swallowed hard. “H-hi.” He choked. He leaned over the crib slightly, taking the child in. He had his eyes. The bright blue was something everyone insisted only Dick had. Now his son had it too. The thought made his throat close up.

Dustin blinked a few more times at him and made a soft cooing sound. “Ah na do.”

“Hey Dustin.” A smile came to Dick’s face at the baby chatter. “Guess what, baby? I’m your daddy.”

That name caught the boy’s attention. “Da-dee?” He repeated slowly. His eyes narrowed at Dick as if trying to place him.

Dick’s throat closed again. “Daddy.” Dick agreed through a choked sound. He pressed a finger to Dustin’s cheek. The skin was so soft and smooth. He swiped it under the child’s chin, eliciting a soft giggle that made Dick beam. This time he smiled when he said the words. “That’s right, Dustin. Daddy.”

The child’s hands flew up to him. “Da-dee! Da-dee!” He squealed in delight.

Dick chuckled weakly and reached down to lift the small bundle into his arms. Dustin immediately latched onto his suit, babbling away. “Na da oo pa! ga na do! Da-dee!” Dustin giggled.

Dick couldn’t stop smiling at the baby. He pressed a kiss to the child’s head. “That’s right baby. Daddy’s here. Daddy’s going to take you home and you’ll be safe with us.” Dick promised.

His heart felt light and floaty. He glided through the room as he gathered more blankets to keep Dustin safe as he swaddled the child in it. As a last minute idea he grabbed Dustin’s stuffed rabbit he’d been sleeping with. “Ba!” Dustin cooed at it, fisting his hand in the bunny’s ears. Dick smiled and grabbed a binky from the nightstand and placed it in Dustin’s mouth. The last thing he needed was the child screaming. Luckily the boy was content with it. He cuddled up closed to Dick with a soft coo.

“That’s right.” Dick murmured, stroking the soft hair once more. “Let’s go home baby.”

He walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. With one hand, he hacked into their system to delete the video evidence and make it run on a loop. They’d probably know someone from the League had taken him but it was better safe than sorry.  The last thing he did was grab his flash drive. He’d look more into this when they were home.

“Come on, Dustin. Let’s go home.”


	2. Coming Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick has taken Dustin from Cadmus Labs. Now he has to introduce him to the family. It'll all go well. After all, they all have a ton of practice with babies... right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again this is crossposted on my tumblr shybugbatty. You can search any of the tags 'dustin verse' 'dusty verse' or 'dustin wayne-grayson' to find more about him on there. This should update rather frequently for a bit. I have researched Dustin's age group so he will be following the correct aging pattern minus throwing some names in there earlier than some children achieve that but otherwise it would be hard to understand in story format. Enjoy.

When the car pulled into the cave, Dustin was still asleep. His head lulled against the pile of blankets and pillows Dick had piled around him. One little hand clutched at the stuffed rabbit's ears. A smile brushed Dick’s lips as he looked at the baby. _His_ baby.

He got out of the driver’s seat and looked around the silent cave. “Alfred?” He called.

“Master Richard?” The old man soon came into his sights. He smiled warmly at Dick. “Why, Master Richard! I wasn't expecting you home.”

“I wasn’t either. But I found something that I really need to discuss. Is Bruce here?”

“I’m afraid he isn’t. He should be home with Master Damian and Master Tim in an hour or so though.”

“Oh… ok.” Dick let out a soft sigh. He didn’t know what to do. He glanced up at Alfred and bit his lip. “I… Alfred? Guess what… you’re a grandparent.”

The words made Alfred’s mouth drop slightly. “Excuse me, Master Richard?”

Dick went to the car door. He reached in and pulled out the slumbering child in a mass of blankets. The boy let out a soft whine at the movement but quickly settled back down into Dick’s arms.

“This is Dustin.” Dick said softly. He cradled the child, aiming him so Alfred could study the sleeping boy’s face. “He’s Bruce and my son.”

“I don’t believe I understand.” Alfred said somewhere between awe and disapproval. He held out one gloved hand to Dusty and stroked his hair with a fond smile.

“I found him at Cadmus.” was all Dick was able to explain.

“How… interesting.”

Dick nodded. “I could really use some help taking care of him. I…I  _really_ have no clue what to do.” Suddenly his heart pounded in his chest. He didn’t know what to do. He’d just taken the child and ran. He hadn’t thought about a cover story or any explanations or trackers. All he’d seen was a baby made of his DNA and ran. He knew nothing about taking care of babies!

“I see.” Alfred broke him from his panic. “You just stay there and I’ll run out to the store… he looks like he’s about… ten months old now? Less than a year but over half a year I’d venture. A healthy baby, big….  I’ll run and get some formula and clothing and be back soon.”

“Thanks, Alfred. You’re a lifesaver!” Dick let out a woosh of air. He could do this. He had his family here. He always wanted kids. And he did have experience babysitting! Not babysitting actual babies but… well close enough right?

The old man smiled at his enthusiasm.  “Now tilt him this way a little bit… good.” Alfred adjusted the blankets and Dick’s hold. He smiled once more at the baby before hurrying away.

“Guess it’s just you and me, Dusty.” Dick said to the slumbering boy. He sat down in Bruce’s armchair and just stared at him. He knew he needed to get tests running and start going through the work but he didn’t want to. Eventually he dragged his gaze away from Dustin to run a DNA scan match but he didn’t do much else.

Forty five minutes later Alfred returned with a warm bottle of milk for Dustin, which was good as in that time the boy had become fussy. He was stirring in Dick’s arms with little pained noises. No matter how much cooing and bouncing Dick bestowed on him, Dustin refused to be pacified. But when the bottle was pressed to his mouth he calmed. He sucked easily on the bottle and settled back into his blanket pile. His bright blue eyes looked at Dick, regarding him. One little hand clasped over Dick’s holding the bottle there.

Dick chuckled. “Do you like that, Dusty?”

“Dusty?” Alfred repeated with a frown.

“Mhm… it’s his nickname.”

Alfred scoffed. “Objects can become dusty. A child is not dusty.”

“I think it fits him.” Dick said. “Don’t you agree Dusty?” The child only blinked at him but Dick pretended to be speaking with him. “Yes! That’s right, Dusty is a great nickname! Although I’m sure Tim wouldn’t mind us calling you baby bird sometimes. You are a baby after all.” The soft words made Alfred smile.

Soon Dusty had finished his bottle. He lay contently in Dick’s arms. He raised a hand every so often and would frown at it. Dick offered him his finger and Dusty took it in his little hands, marveling over it and trying to gum on it every so often. Alfred hovered over his shoulder and helped when needed. He too didn’t seem to want to leave Dustin’s side. They watched as he snoozed, startled awake, gummed Dick’s fingers, and blew spit bubbles.

It was well past one in the morning when the Batmobile roared into the cave. Dick winced and hurried to squeeze Dusty to his chest. He’d never realized how painfully loud it was until now. He also hadn’t realized how loud his brothers could be. They were jumping out of the car, already accusing each other of something. Car doors slammed, bats screeched, and Bruce snapped at the boys to be quiet.

Dusty’s eyes watered and his lip trembled. For a second he sent Dick a look as if this was his fault. Then he began wailing. Dick moaned. Dustin’s scream was high and lilting, echoing through the cave like a siren and sending bats flying away with a screech.

“What the hell is that?” Damian exclaimed.

“Shut it off!” Tim added, clamping his hands over his ears.

“Boys! Please, do be quiet!” Alfred scolded. He was already up and out of his chair, rushing to their sides with frantic motions of his arms. “You are upsetting Master Dustin.”

“Dustin?” Bruce repeated sharply.

“Shhh… shhh there, Baby. It’s ok.” Dick was cooing. He bounced the boy in his arms a few times and pressed a kiss to his head. “Hush there. It’s ok, little one. They’re just big mean boys. That’s all. Making all that noise and scaring you, huh? But they’re good. No one is going to hurt you baby.”

Dusty just kept sobbing. His little fists waved about and he squirmed around in Dick’s arms. Dick kept murmuring gentle words and bouncing and cuddling the boy.

That was what Bruce saw when he looked over. His eyebrows flew up. “What is going on?”

 "I would like to know the same thing!”  Damian exclaimed.

"Master Damian, inside voices.” Alfred scolded sharply. The three men stared at him. Alfred was not usually so cross. The man’s brows were furrowed and he nodded towards Dick. They followed his gaze and then his lead. “Now, let us all  _quietly_ go see Master Richard and Master Dustin. I am sure you can find your answers then.”

When they got over Dustin’s cries had fallen to weak little whimpers. Tears still gathered in his eyes but he had stopped wailing. He looked up at Dick accusingly. “Da-dee.” He whimpered.

Dick winced. “Sorry, kiddo.” He pressed a kiss to Dusty’s head. “Shhhh….”

“Dick?” Bruce questioned unsurely.

“Who is this?” Tim asked.

Dick turned up to Bruce with a weak smile. “Hi Bruce. I’d like you to meet, Dustin. He’s your son.”

“My  _what_ ?”

Two sharp looks met his loud comment, and one little whimper. Dick bounced Dustin to pacify him. “Our son actually.” Dick corrected after a moment.

Bruce’s mouth opened and closed a few times. “I don’t understand.”

“Neither do I. Not completely.” Dick explained the story quickly. The whole time no one looked from the baby. The child had raised a hand to his lips and began sucking on his fist. He looked over the newcomers with mild curiosity.

“Our son?” Bruce repeated once Dick was finished.

Dick nodded. “I haven’t done a full DNA analysis myself but I think it’s safe to say that’s who he is.” He brushed dark black hair from Dusty’s eyes and the baby looked up at him.

“That is impossible.” Damian announced. “You are both men.”

“That’s basic biology, Dick.” Tim added in.

Dick shook his head. “Project Wayne-Grayson.” The words made Dustin look up and give a little babble of assent. Dick’s smile wavered. “That’s what they called Dusty. Dusty Wayne-Grayson. I took the files but I haven’t had much chance to look over them with Dusty here…”

“Dusty?” Bruce repeated.

“Dustin, but I thought Dusty fit him.” Dick chuckled softly.

“Dustin.” Bruce’s voice was lost and confused. Dick met his eyes and gave a laugh. Bruce was staring, mouth open and eyes wide, at the little baby. He barely seemed to have registered anything Dick had said.

“Come here, Bruce.” Dick said gently. He stood and relinquished his seat. The man fell into it with a deep sigh. “Hold out your arms…” He gently placed Dusty in Bruce’s hold. The baby gave a whine and started reaching for Dick immediately. “Shhh… it’s ok, Baby. Look. Look, it’s Daddy!”

Dustin blinked. “Da-dee?”

“Daddy.” Dick agreed. He pointed to Bruce.

A frown scrunched up Dustin’s face and he reached for Dick again. “Da-dee!”

“Da-da.” Dick tried instead, pointing once more.

“Dada.” Dustin agreed slowly. He looked up at Bruce. The man pulled the cowl off and Dustin stared at him a long moment before a smile spread over his face. “Dada!”

A smile like no one had quiet seen before spread across Bruce’s face at that. He softened completely and he stroked a finger under Dusty’s chin, eliciting a giggle from the boy. “Hello, Dustin.” He murmured.

“Dada!” Dustin repeated. The chain of ‘da’s kept growing as he repeated the words over and over again. “Dadadadadadadadadadada…”

“I think he’s broken.” Damian announced.

Dick laughed. “He’s not broken. He’s just happy.”

“He sounds broken to me.” Damian muttered.

Dick wrapped an arm around Damian’s shoulders and another around Tim. “So… what do you think of your new little brother?”

“You mean we’re keeping him?” Damian exclaimed.

“Of course we’re keeping him! He’s our son!”

“He’s cute.” Tim offered. “How old is he?”

“The files said he’s just going on eight months.”

“I don’t know anything about babies.” Bruce said. He was staring at Dusty with a mix of concern, happiness, and confusion. “How are we going to take care of him?”

Alfred smiled at the scene. “I’m sure you will learn, Master Bruce. We all will.”


	3. What now?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dustin's origins are looked into while Bruce tries to figure out if he is really father material. Dick obviously loves the child already and is ready to be a father... but Bruce? He's not so sure. But then again, he never could deny Dick anything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will be cross posted to my account on Tumblr 'shybugbatty'. Search the 'dustin wayne-grayson' tag to find everything related to him. Dustin is my character while the rest all belong to DC comics. I've done research on babies so he should be accurate. Enjoy!

Four hours. It had been four hours since Dick had greeted in him the Batcave with a surprise baby. A baby! Bruce rubbed his forehead. Just after he’d finally solved one mystery another showed up. He’d been working on two cases simultaneously for the past week. Tonight was supposed to be the first night to relax. Instead he was up at five in the morning looking through files.

Dick had brought down the old wooden cradle from the attic and Alfred had bought the necessities. They were keeping Dustin in the cave for now while they figured out what to do. They obviously couldn’t let Cadmus keep him but Bruce didn’t feel quite up to the task himself. Dick was in love with the child already though…. and Bruce had to admit that he was rather sweet. So tiny and innocent… 

Bruce shook his head sharply. No. Focus on work. That’s it. 

He’d already run the DNA scan twice and had attempted to match Dustin’s to DNA of others. No luck. He was theirs. Bruce had been working on decoding the other files with Tim. Both hackers were pulling what data they could find. Every day had been meticulously calculated and recorded by the scientists.

They’d wake him up, feed him, change his diaper, do an evaluation, and then let him play in the playroom. They’d set up ‘tests’ for him such as getting an object out of reach or pulling on a string to make an object come closer. They gauged his progress based on regular children. They even had brain scans to see what activity was there. 

It was a cold environment. There were two designated ‘care givers’ and the rest were doctors for a total of eight on the team. The two care givers took care of changing the diapers and softening the child’s cries. The doctors were the ones who ran tests and checked his progress. There was nothing more for him. Dustin had usually been left alone in the observation room. The only time a caregiver would come in is if he cried for too long or needed help of some sort. 

Dick had been understandably mad at that. Bruce could already tell he was promising not to ever leave Dustin alone. He’d done well so far. Dick had taken up the station near the crib. Alfred was tending to the slumbering child but Dick didn’t want to be away. Every so often he peaked over the rails as if he expected Dustin to vanish.

“Bruce?” Tim asked, shoving a pile of papers into his hands. “This is what I got on the employees.”

He skimmed through the images of the team members. They varied in background and came from India, Asia, France, and America. It was a strange collaboration of people. None of them had worked at Cadmus before either. It made no sense for Cadmus to bring in outsiders.

“What else do they work on?” Bruce grunted.

“Nothing. They were on Project W.G. the whole time.” Tim ducked his head. “I mean, they were with Dustin the whole time.”

“Anything yet on why this started?”

“Nothing. There’s not a thesis or anything. Just… boom! Baby!” Tim shrugged. “I’ll keep digging.”

“Good.”

Damian scoffed from his seat reviewing the camera footage outside of Cadmus. It was a wild goose chase to assume one of their enemies would just walk in the front door, but you never knew. “If you would allow us to tell Oracle then this would be much simpler.”

“No. No one else until we’re sure.” Bruce said sharply. “We don’t know who we’re dealing with. We don’t know if Dustin is a normal child, a meta-human, or what. Let’s keep this between us until we have more answers.”

Damian clucked his tongue and went back to work with a soft mutter. Tim did the same. Dick though abandoned his station to lie against the back of Bruce’s chair. “Come on.” He whispered, tugging at his cape.

“I’m working.” Bruce growled. He typed commands into the keyboard with hard thumps. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He didn’t like unknowns.

“Bruce.” Dick filled his vision as he slid between him and the consol. “Come on. Talk to me.”

“Dick-”

“Come on.” This time Dick shoved his chair back. Bruce sighed and obediently followed Dick to the locker rooms for privacy. He slumped onto one of the benches and pinched the bridge of his nose. He was getting a headache.

Dick slid on beside him and pulled him down so Bruce’s head was pillowed in his lap. He massaged his forehead and hummed absently. The sound and rubbing relaxed Bruce. It was nice just being able to sit with Dick. They didn’t need to speak to convey how they felt. Sometimes the press thought they were boring since they were rather quiet during single outings but it was that silence that Bruce loved.

It also gave them time to think. In their world they never could turn their brains off. Bruce especially. He thought through everything he was going to say – at least he tried to. Right now he knew Dick was doing the same thing.

Finally the fingers stopped and Dick lowered his gaze. “I’m sorry.” He murmured. “I just didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t leave him there!”

“Dick.” Bruce started.

“I just… I was so angry. They had my son as a test subject. I didn’t want to wait to see what else they might do to him. So I just grabbed him and ran without thinking or telling you or-”

“-It’s fine.” Bruce cut him off. He sat up and squeezed his lover’s hands. “It’s fine. Dickie, I don’t blame you. No matter who was in there we would have done the same thing. But if Dustin is really our son – and so far it seems to be true – then I’m glad you got him.”

Dick sniffed. “You’re not mad?”

“Not at you. I’m mad at whoever did this. Whoever stole our DNA and decided to make a baby with it as… a weapon, a test subject, or whatever the intended use. Being in the basement of Cadmus Labs means it wasn’t going to be a happy life for Dustin. I’m angry at them, not you.”

Dick peaked up through his bangs at him. “So you’re… ok with Dusty?”

“I’m fine with Dustin.” Bruce agreed. 

He looked up a little more. “We are going to keep him, right?”

“Once we have all the information, if there is no reason to do otherwise then yes.”

Dick snorted and finally met him eye to eye. He leaned until their noses were together. “We’re keeping him.” He said firmly before kissing Bruce.

They broke apart and Bruce rolled his eyes. A smile graced his lips. “Alright. We’re keeping Dustin.” He agreed.

Dick beamed. “Now, I don’t know about you but I’m really tired. We can all take a power nap for an hour or two down here before we continue. Tim and Damian could go to bed.”

“The first fourty eight hours will be our biggest tell. We’ll need to be on alert.” Bruce said. “We’ll all take power naps in shifts.”

“Do you think someone will attack us for Dustin?”

“What reason would they have made him otherwise? They’ll go after all their test subjects. It just depends on what route they do so.” Rumors on the street vs. missing child signs would tell them all about how they felt towards Dustin. Assassins or a crying mother would make all the difference. And once they came out – in whichever way they did so – maybe they’d finally learn who made him.

They needed to be on alert. They’d checked for any sensors and trackers but there were none apparent. It was unlikely that they’d follow Nightwing all the way back to Gotham and into the Batcave but it wasn’t impossible. Before anything could be determined they needed to find out what Cadmus would do.


	4. Diaper Changes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bruce has agreed to keep Dustin and be a father. Now comes the huge task of learning how to do so. Searching through the computer, making lists, and changing diapers is only part of this task.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will be cross posted onto my tumblr account 'shybugbatty' under the tag 'dustin wayne-grayson'.

The scream brought everyone to full attention. Dick leapt out of bed and grabbed the nearest thing, a folder, as a weapon. Bruce had the cowl on and batarangs at the ready and Damian wasn’t far behind. Tim had been going to the backroom and had crouched down defensively. 

“My goodness, sirs.” Alfred sighed. He strode forward to the crib. “Our new guest is not a threat.”

“Whoops.” Tim whistled.

Everyone let their defenses drop. They crept closer and surrounded the baby. Dustin was sobbing, tears running down his cheeks and little hiccup like cries bubbling up. Dick reached for him but he was already in Alfred’s arms. 

Alfred hummed as he bounced the child in his arms. He patted him and nodded. “I’m afraid Master Dustin has had an accident. If you would be so kind as to grab the diaper bag from the corner, Master Richard, and Master Tim will you prepare a sanitary medical table. Place a warm sheet down for us too.”

“Sure.” They both jogged off and met back at the exam table. Alfred laid Dustin on his back. The child’s face was pink and he hadn’t stopped screaming. 

Damian cringed. “Grayson, do something.”

“Damian,” Dick hissed. 

“Your spawn shall break my eardrums!”

“Don’t scare him! I’ll only make it worse.”

Damian scowled and threw himself into the chair. “Fine. But I’m not learning how to change diapers.”

“I believe that should be the parents’ jobs, yes?” Alfred said with a slight chuckle. “Boys you may continue. Master Bruce, Master Richard, if you’d be so kind to help me…?” It was an order disguised as a question. They had no choice but to hover over his shoulder as Alfred cleaned up Dustin’s mess, disposed of the old diaper, powered him, used rash cream for prevention, and finally taped the new diaper shut.

Dustin’s tears had died down after his used diaper was off. Now he was gurgling to himself and trying once more to eat his hand. Dick laughed and gently pulled it away. “No eating yourself, baby.”

Dustin’s smile brightened when Dick came into his view. His arms flew up and tiny fingers opened and closed as best they could. “Da-dee! Da-Dee!” Dustin squealed. 

Dick nearly squealed back. He kept it to a bright smile though as he picked Dusty up and nuzzled their faces together. “That’s right, Dustin! I’m here. Daddy’s here!” Dustin slobbered on the shoulder of the Nightwing suit but Dick just laughed. He sat down in Bruce’s big chair and shifted Dustin into his arms. The child thumped his hand against Dick’s chest and seemed fascinated with the contrast of blue on black.

“He really is cute.” Tim said as he peered over Dick’s shoulder. Since they’d come back he hadn’t really paid attention. Now he could see just how tiny he was. “Is he supposed to be that tiny though? Is it healthy?”

“He’s within healthy ranges according to the scientists.” Bruce said.

Dustin gurgled and let out a hiccup which made his eyes widen with shock. 

Tim tilted his head. “Think I was ever that small?”

“You all were, Master Tim.” Alfred spoke up. “Even Master Bruce.”

Dick smiled. “He’ll grow up big and strong eventually.”

“Enjoy this stage, sir.” Alfred said gently. “It’s one you really can’t get back.”

“Don’t worry. I will.” Dick said. He pressed a kiss to Dustin’s stomach. Another gasp sounded and Dustin tried to feel for where the wet mark was. Dick paused nervously. He did it again, this time on the boy’s head. Again Dustin’s nose scrunched in confusion and he squirmed. A cry lodged itself in Dick’s throat and he turned to Bruce in a mix of anger and loss. “He’s never been kissed before! He doesn’t understand it!”

Bruce winced and put a hand on his lover’s shoulder. “They were scientists, not family.”

“You’re supposed to give babies affection. Especially during their early months it’s important! All sorts of issues can come up if the baby doesn’t have skin to skin contact and bonding with the parents.” Dick looked more frightened as he spoke. 

“How do you know?” Damian asked sarcastically. “Have you had a baby before?”

Dick sent him a sharp look. “No. But when the tests have been running I’ve been reading. Alfred can’t take care of Dustin all the time.”

“Sure he can.”

“Well we are all going to be with Dustin. Because he’s my son and you’re brother and we love him.” Dick said it firmly but his shoulders were shaking. 

Bruce winced and knelt beside Dick, holding his hands over Dustin’s stomach. “Dick, look at me.”

“No.” 

“Dick…”

Finally Dick looked up. His emotions were all over the place. He hated this. It felt like dreams were coming true one second and the next they were being ripped away. The chance to have a son with Bruce, to raise a child, was something he’d always wanted. Now Dustin was here but he was an experiment of an unknown organization and they weren’t prepared at all. They had no supplies and knowledge. Dick had helped care for Lian but she’d already been sixteen months when Roy found her. Dustin was half of that. And from what he’d read babies were so fragile. So many things could go wrong with him. The fact that he hadn’t gotten the love and attention in the beginning of his life could have impacts later. And with everything in their lives it was scary to think what else could happen to endanger the baby. 

Bruce cupped Dick’s cheek. “It’s alright.”

“I’m just scared.” Dick admitted weakly. “I don’t want him to….”

“He won’t.” Bruce promised. “Dustin will stay with us. He’ll be safe and he’ll be well. We’ll all make sure of it. Everything will be fine.”

Dick nodded. He took a shaky breath and let it out. He looked down at Dustin who was staring at Bruce’s cowl with interest. “Everything will be fine.” He agreed softly.

“If it is any consolation, sirs.” Alfred spoke up, “He knew who you were. The scientists had to have introduced him to photos of you at some point, and likely associated that with good, for Dustin to be so comfortable with you. Most babies do not do well away from their caregivers.”

Finally Dick smiled. “I guess so.” He agreed. Bruce reached forward to kiss him but was stopped when a wet tiny hand slapped his chin. He froze and look down to see a gummed mouth stretching into a wide smile. Dusty’s hands reached for him and one managed to hook onto his lip. 

“Ow.” Bruce groaned as it was pulled down sharply. Dustin giggled merrily. Bruce detached the hand and frowned at the baby. But Dustin seemed pleased and kept reaching for him so Bruce gave in and smiled. This time he made sure the fingers were out of the way when he kissed his lover. Then he pressed a kiss to Dustin’s pudgy arm. The child pursed his lips but didn’t complain or seem confused. He was getting used to the kisses. That was good news.

Bruce stood and could feel everyone staring at him. He cleared his throat. Batman and babies did not go well together. At least Dustin wasn’t frightened by his outfit. 

Tim was the first to speak up over the awkward bout. “Why don’t you two look up all the parenting and baby stuff. Damian and I will work on our end. But we’ll need to buy a lot of stuff. I read somewhere that babies have between six and ten diapers a day… and we only bought a twenty four pack. So that’ll be a necessity and, well, there has got to be a lot of other stuff.”

“Ok. Good idea. Thanks.” Dick nodded to him and turned the chair around to minimize the tests that were running and instead go through baby sites on the computer. Realizing that Dick wouldn’t relinquish his chair anytime soon, Bruce grudgingly found another one. Usually he’d insist to have his seat but he didn’t dare with Dustin in Dick’s arms. 

Dick soon was looking into a variety of baby sites that had everything from milestones to games to play with the child. All the while he rocked Dustin in his arms and hummed absently. When he fell asleep once more Alfred rolled the crib over so he could be within arms reach of the new father.

Bruce started out on the same sites but quickly got sidetracked. He went through Wayne Tech to see if they had anything specific for babies. He looked at recalls and crossed off companies with too many from his list. Only the best for his child. Somewhere along the way he got caught in a whirl of ‘childproofing’ articles. The list had everything from bathing essentials, to electrical sockets, and even poisons control.

A list of his own started of what needed to be done. He brought up the blueprints for the manor to label each socket that could cause a hazard. Doors were labeled with the correct type of bumper. Cabinets would be fitted with locks or baby proof seals so Dustin couldn’t get into them. They’d have to get a lot of padding to put around the edges of couches and other furniture. Newer styles were softer but the antique pieces with hardwood legs or brass knobs would hurt if Dustin managed to hit them. All hallways and doorways would have to be fitted for a baby gate. With over two hundred rooms they’d have to ensure most of them stayed locked so Dustin wouldn’t get lost. They’d also have to specify areas he could be in because baby proofing the entire manor was feasible but not exactly easy. 

Then there was the matter of the cave…. It was late right now so having Dustin in the crib was fine. But if he was going to be crawling soon – according the records he was getting there – they couldn’t keep him there. They’d need a few playpens so he could safely be contained. Not only that but they’d need to determine a nursery for him and Bruce would have to ensure he had new safety measures… perhaps a heart monitor. Didn’t some babies die of suffocation in their sleep? He’d have to get a pulse or oxygen intake filtered into the room. New locks on the windows with motion sensors…the crib would be fitted with a camera of course so anyone who took the baby out would be recognized. Maybe he could figure out a trap so if you weren’t allowed to take him it would close. That was a good idea. They could-

“B?” Bruce nearly jumped when Dick touched his shoulder. Dick apparently had been leaning over his shoulder for quite some time. He chuckled at Bruce’s startled look. “Hey. Looks like you’ve done a lot of work.”

“Yes…”

“I have a list of items saved. You can add yours to that. Alfred said he’ll go out in a few hours.”

“Good.”

Dick chuckled. “It’s ok, Bruce. You don’t have to be embarrassed.” He seemed quite pleased with the fact Bruce had gone all out, so Bruce let the tension fade and nod. “I already sent Tim and Damian to bed but I’m going to nap myself. We’ll move the crib into the living room and I’ll sleep on the couch. You can join us?”

“I’m fine.” Bruce said. “I still had a few more articles to go through about the safest cribs and most functional strollers. Do you think we could jog with him at our pace or would that be too much?”

Dick smiled. “I think he’d be fine.”

“Good.”

Dick leaned over and pressed a kiss to him. “Thank you Bruce.”

“For what?”

“For… just being you I guess.” Dick chuckled softly. “I was worried about how you’d react but you’re going all out. That makes it real and it makes me happy. So… thanks.”

Bruce sighed and kissed his boy’s cheek. “Anything for you.”

“I love you.”

“You too.”


End file.
